done upon the Offender and then it calmed So they took up Jonah and cast him into the Sea and it ceased from Raging 1. God doth not send such storms without a cause because he is righteous in all his proceedings judicial proceedings Though somtimes he be severe yet he is alwayes righteous The righteous Judg doth not pass sentence without notorious evidence of the fact This was the Case of Jonah he had fled from the presence of the Lord his flight evidences his guilt And so God sends this Terrible Hue and Cry after him The storm Psa 148. 8. and hail fire and vapour and snow are all said to fulfil his word viz his word of Command and his word of Threatning which is a righteous Sentence upon guilty Sinners Here consider poor Sea-men Is it not a righteous thing with God that you who have sinned in many storms by raging impatience of your Spirits by being in as great a storm of discontent and murmuring as the Sea it self You that have been delivered so many a time in storms and sinned after such deliverances you that have made so many vows to God in your storms and distresses at Sea and have broken and forgotten them all at Land is it not I say a righteous thing with God that you should at one time or other perish by such storms Is it not a righteous thing that when the guilty Malefactor hath fled and the Hue and Cry sent out after him takes him that he should be tryed condemned and executed Alas poor Sea-men you are the Malefactors God is the Judg and your extraordinary Storms are the Hue and Cry sent out to Sea after you May not you say in this case as David in that Whither shall I go from thy presence If I take the Psal 139. 8. 10. wings of the morning and dwell in the utmost parts of the Sea even there shall thy hand lead me thy right hand shall hold me viz. lay hold on me apprehend me as a Malefactor is apprehended by Hue and Cry Have not you given God cause thus to send after you when you carry guilt to Sea with you every Voyage old guilt new guilt old Vows undischarged new debts unpaid You have cause to say and your Relations have cause to say God is Righteous in all that is come upon you He is the Judge of all the earth and he will do right he is Judg at Land and he will do right there and he is Judg of the Court of Admiralty and he will do right there 2 Extraordinary storms are not sent out without Cause Because God will stop the mouth of every poor guilty sinner in the day that he deals with them Jonah here pleads guilty for I know that for my sake is this vâ—â— 12. great Tempest upon you Now he Confesses all The Law of God is so Righteous that it stops every mouth Now we know Rom. 3. â—â— 19. what things soever the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God As when guilty persons have the fact proved plainly before them that they have nothing to say for themselves as the Judg saies when he passes Judgment What hast thou to say for thy self that the Sentence should not now be pronounced upon thee The poor wretch hath now nothing to say for himself stands as the man that had not on the Wedding Garment Speechless Now in these extraordinary storms poor Sea-men God is dealing with you It may be at home Ministers were dealing with you and God's Ordinances dealing with you and Relations dealing with you that you would look about you for your immortal Souls But all was rejected But now God is dealing with you and Conscience is dealing with you and now your mouths will be stopt All your objections then will be silent If you say any thing in this day It will be Lord thou art Righteous If thou pass Sentence upon me now if thou sink me if thou damn me if I never see Relations more Wife and Children more O poor Seamen how will you be then condemned in your own Consciences when God is passing Sentence upon you then Iniquity will stop its mouth Third Reason Extraordinary storms are not sent out without a Cause Because they bring Souls into great distresses Now God doth not Afflict or distress the Children of men willingly Alas it is with great regret he doth it As a Father Corrects his Child He fears he will be spoyled else not that he hath any delight in whipping-work It is said of poor Sea-men in their storms Their Psal 107. 25 26 27 28. Souls are melted because of Trouble they are at their wits end Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he bringeth them out of their distresses Their Soul is melted their courage faileth because of Anxiety so some read it Now God doth not without a cause bring poor creatures into distresses 1. Now poor Sea-men in their storms are distressed with their sins compassing them about Now Psal 40. 12. their iniquities takes hold upon them that they cannot look up therefore their Heart faileth them as David saies Take hold upon them as the Hue and Cry takes hold on the guilty Malefactor as hath been hinted already O is not this a great distress when death and unpardoned guilt looks a poor Sinner in the face at the same time To have all your sins before you now when Death that King of Terrors comes forth against you this is to be in great distress 2. In storms fears make distress And God would not bring Sinners into fears without Cause The Mariners now were affraid as hath been noted before Fear is such a distress that we read a promise to be delivered from the fear of Evil not only from the Evil but the Fear of it Fears of death are as terrible to some as Death it self 3. In storms Job 9. 13. they are distressed under the sense of Gods displeasure O this is a storm in his Anger and if God withdraw not his Anger all the proud helpers stoop under him all the helpers of pride as the Dutch Annotators observe They that arrogantly presume they can help themselves out of the distress Alas the Stout-hearted Mariners the most couragious Sea-men in the world will stoop under Him God is not Angry without a Cause Is not this distress To be under the sense of divine displeasure Ask David and he will tell you he had no rest in his bones because of Gods Anger 4. In storms they are distressed under Terrors of Spirit about their Eternal Conditions No such distresses as Soul-distresses If it come to this once O what will become of my immortal Soul If I die and sink in this storm do not I go to Hell now I think the Soul is in distress enough It is no wonder if the Soul be in distress when it
is to die and knows not whither it shall go but bespeaks it self as he did O poor wandring Soul whither art thou going thou must never sport it more 5. In storms they are distressed with thoughts of their dear Relations and one-while they think of their precious Souls and those thoughts cut them to the Heart Another-while they think of their dear pieces of themselves their Wives and Children and these thoughts as daggers go to their Souls And thus are they hurried and distressed in their Spirits Now God would not bring such distresses upon Sinners without a Cause 4. Because extraordinary storms are the sad effects of Gods displeasure against poor Sinners Was the Lord displeased against the Rivers Was thine Anger against the Hab. 3. 8. Rivers Was thy wrath against the Sea So may not we say of this like terrible Tempest Was not the Lords Anger against the Sea-men against their Relations against the whole Land God was Angry with Jonah when he sent this storm after him And had he not good cause 1. Did not he contradict his Commission and will a King bear it To have his Royal Commands contradicted by his Subjects nay especially Can he bear it by those that he had preferr'd to places of Eminency Jonah was a Prophet a person God had honoured to be sent out a Prophet in Israel It is no wonder if God was Angry As God is most angry when his own people sin against him so he is most angry when his Prophets do sin against him which made God complain of old He had seen folly in the Prophets of Samaria Ver. â—â— 13 14. and I have seen in the Prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing They commit Adulâ—ery and walk in Liâ—s c. O this raised Gods anger against them Now for a Prophet to walk thus contradictory to God This must needs cause God to be angry 2. God had good cause to be angry with Jonah he is secure under his guilt and this is a great Provocation unto the Lord. If a poor Soul fall into sin and quickly be sensible of it O then God is ready to forgive But when a poor Soul sleeps on and sins on which was Jonah's case this is a great Provocation unto the Lord. He was asleep 3. God had good cause to be angry in continuing as well as sending the storm for Jonah is exceeding disingenuous with God and his Conscience What Calls had he to awake The Master Reproves him one would have thought that might have set his Conscience on work The poor Heathen Mariner's cry Every one calling upon his God one would have thought might have brought him to consider how he had offended his God The very casting out their wares might have occasioned him to think what guilt he was under to endanger all the poor innocent mens lives But you see he puts all off to the last Until he is discovered by Lot nay when he is discovered he is not yet ingenuous but stands their Examination before he confess that it was for his sake that this storm came upon them Must not this needs be a gâ—eat Provocation to the Lord 4. For Jonah God had good cause to be angry with him that he being sent upon an Embassy for Souls should refuse it This was Jonah's Calling O how forward should he have been to prove an instrument of bringing so many thousands of Souls to Repentance that lived in such a City O how he should have rejoyced in such an employment to have saved Souls from death What an occasion was this for God to be angry to be a Preacher to Souls and not a lover of Souls 5. God had good Cause to be angry with Jonah because he mattered his own name more than God's This was his Temptation as hath been hinted before What for an Ambassador to a King to stand more upon his own name than his Master's that gave him his Commission What a Provocation is this What a Preacher and have so little Regard to the Glory of God and the good of Souls To regard our Reputation more than the honour of him that sent us and the Salvation of precious Souls must not this cause God to be angry This is the case poor Sea-men in extraordinary stormes You should say Now the Lord is Angry and God is displeased with us and is he ever angry without a cause now in such storms he is saying to you as the Lord to them Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee This is Jer. 4. 18 thy wickedness because it is bitter it reaches to the He art O that you would look into your Hearts and into your Lives and into your Houses and into your Shops and into the Trades you drive and tell then your own Consciences whether God hath not good cause to be angry Take a view of your land-Land-sins at home of your beyond-Seasins abroad of your Sea-sins and then ask your hearts the Question Hath not God cause to be Angry APPLICATION Is it so that extraordinary Storms are not sent out without Cause Then it informs us that Punishments follow Provocations sooner or later Though Sentence be not speedily Executed why should the Hearts of Sinners and Sea-men be hardned to conclude that it will never be Executed No Sinners Long forbearance is no forgiveness There will come a storm a stroak that will pay for all God will not let sin go unpunished If punishments escape you at Land they shall meet you at Sea and if they escape you at Sea they shall meet you at Land These poor Heathens had this Notion Some notorious guilt was among them that this storm came to punish And they had this Notion When the Viper came upon Pauls hand They said Vengeance followed him and would not suffer him to live Acts 28. 4. The Avengers of blood follow persons to Sea If Jonah be there the storm will follow him It was said to those that took up their Habitation beyond Jordan that if they worshipped not the God of their Fathers their Sins would find them out An Allusion to Blood-hounds that find out the Thief and fasten upon him 2. It informs us that the Lord is Soveraign at Sea He it is that commands the winds that sends them forth of his Treasury He it is can say to the storm Be calm that can say to the Raging Sea Peace and be Psal 147. 18. still That sets a bound to the proud waves and saies So far and no farther He it is that saies to his Servants the Winds Go and they go He causeth His Winds to blow and the Waters to flow When waters drown Countries Inundations break in upon us these are ordered by God When poor Seamen lie wind-bound it may be months together how should they consider they are God's Prisoners and God only can set them at liberty and instead of murmuring against God How should they look up to God for a wind 3. It informs
us that God is Righteous in his Terrible dispensations at Sea O how Righteous was God in this grievous Tempest O may not Sea-men and Land-men and all sorts say as the poor Church did Thou hast Ps 65. 5 punished us less than our Iniquities deserved How righteous is God and doth answer us with Terrible things in Rightcousness And observe what follows O God of our Salvation who art the confidence of all the ends of At old Lynn the 11 12 of September 16â—1 the Earth and of them that are far off upon the Sea When God ariseth terribly to shake the Earth or terribly to shake the Sea it is always in Righteousness Was not the late great Tempest a shaking of both when the Sea overflowed its banks broke all before it Alas sin hath broke all bounds and banks and it is a Righteous thing that the Sea should do so Great floods of sin righteously bring great Floods of wrath 4. It informs us That the Cause of Gods Judgments may be hid from us These poor Sea-men understood not the Cause therefore they take this extraordinary course to find it out They cast Lots to this end that they may know it There was a guilty Malefactor gotten aboard and they knew it not There was an Achan in the Camp and Joshua knew it not Who had gotten the accursed thing and hid it among the stuff and upon this account God refuses to go up with Israel O it is good for us all to say in our distresses both at Sea and at Land Wherefore dost thou contend with me Lord for whose sakes are these terrible Dispensations come upon us 5ly It informs us what a great evil Sin and Guilt is Guilt is that which causeth the storm This this is that which will find you out wheresoever you go This Num. 32. 23. will be the Avenger of blood if at land if at Sea this will cause storms against you If you think to flee from the presence of God it will follow you this is that will make you meditate Terror where-ever you are O poor Sea-men what a terrible thing is it to have storms threaten you with Shipwrack every moment and at that time all your unpardoned Guilt looking you in the face The iniquities of your heels compassing you about the sorrows of Hell and Death to take hold of you at the same time 2. Use If extraordinary storms be not sent forth without cause it is then a word of Counsel and Exhortation to Sea-men in a more special manner O then give not the Lord cause to enter into a controversie with you You your Wives and Relations give not the Lord cause to bring forth his extraordinary storms upon you and then do not provoke him do not stir up his wrath If his wrath be kindled but a little happy are they that put their trust in him You cannot say when he brings Tempests upon you that he breaketh you with tempest and multiplieth Job 9. 17. Ezek. 14. ult your wounds either in your Relations or Estates without a cause it was said of Jerusalem They should know what God had done he had not done it without a cause 1. O give God no cause to take up a controversie with you if he once come forth against you there is no standing before him It is said of God He casteth forth his Ice like Ps 147 17. morsels and who can stand before his cold But it may be said in this case Who can stand before his storm his Tempests of Fury and Displeasure Who will provoke one that is his Superiour that can crush him Did ever any contend with the Lord and prosper Is not this to kick against the Pricks Can your hearts endure or your hands be made strong in that day that God shall deal with you O then why should you be so fool-hardy to put the Lord to it Are not you while sinning against him setting only Bryars and Thorns before him in Battel 2. O give not God cause to take up a controversie against you poor Sea-men and your Relations While you are under Gods controversie your own Consciences will condemn you and O how sad will this be God against you and Conscience against you Jonah's own Conscience at this time you see did fly in his face for my sake is this storm come upon you We say Conscience is a thousand witnesses Now it will be a storm within and this is sad while a strom is within to have another without 3. O give not God cause to take up a controversie against you No means will prove significant or available to the end they are used if a storm upon you in God's controversie be against you You see it was here so they used all means they lighten'd the Ship as Pauls Vessel was For saith the Text they cast the Tackling over-board and the Acts 17. 19. 38. Wheat All the means were used that could be here with these poor Mariners in Jonah's Vessel and they cry to their Gods but all will not calm the storm because it came for a controversie against Jonah nay when the guilty Person was discovered they were so ingenuous to seek by all means to save his life who had brought this storm upon them but all was to no purpose For the Sea wrought still and was tempestuous O it is no ver 15. wonder now if in such cases Sea-men be at their wits end when they see all means they can use insignificant to their intended purpose O now their hearts fail them O now they begin to think This is the Lords controversie against us and our families and therefore no means used are blest As it is with sick Persons when no means no Physick is blest to them they are given over for dead So it is in this case 4. O give God no cause to take up a controversie against you for if he have a controversie with you you cannot any where be safe from his presence Jonah here would flee to Tarshish but God you see sends after him with a Witness God hath his bloud-hounds to find out where-ever you go This was that Moses told them that took up their Inheritance on the other side Jordan that Num. 32. 23. Surely their Sin should find them out Surely the punishment of your sins shall hitt you so some read it as Jonah was hitt by lot being an expression taken from finding out by lots and as Achan was hitt by lot where-ever you go God will send after you Some say it is an allusion to blood-hounds that by Scent find out the Thief David sayes Where shall I fly from thy presence c. Psal 39. 7 8. God hath Pursevants at command to send after guilty Sinners where ever they are That very Voyage that you think poor Seamen shall be the safest that very Voyage shall be the most dangerous if God have a controversy with you Nay when you come home in your own
smitten at At the Lord refused to go with the Camp What was the matter There was a secret cause an hidden cause Joshua he complains to God and sadly bewails the want of Gods presence and the Lord upon his Inquiry tells him There is a cause and the cause was this The Accursed thing was among them And this was the 13 21. cause O Israel thou cannot stand before thine Enemies until thou take away the accursed thing from among you Here are three things observable 1. The accursed thing was the hidden thing hid among the stuff The Babylonish garments was hid and the Silver under it O the accursed thing lies hid the cause is hid but it must be inquired into hid in your ships it may be in your shops hid in your Trade or Converse with men where ever the cause or accursed thing lies it must be inquired into 2. Achan was of the Tribe of Judah which was the Tribe so honourable that Christ came of it and yet one of this Tribe was the cause of the Lords thus withdrawing his presence after this the Tribe that kept close to the true worship of God Judah yet ruleth with God and is faithful with the Saints yet one of the Tribe of Judah taken as the guilty person 3. Achan was discovered taken by Lot Joshua 6. verse for this discovery fell down on his face before the Arke The Ark was to inquire in dark and doubtful cases all and now he was inquiring of the Lord the cause of this disappointment and God answered him in Judg. 20. 27. telling him what course to take for a discovery Hence it is that when Gods People are brought into straits and distresses he usually points all their sins and provocations as being the cause of his so dealing with them and tells them as he did by the Prophet Jeremiah Jer. 4. 18. your wayes and doings have procured these things unto your Souls c. Alas saith God you put me upon it it was your own doings and this is but to eat of the bitter fruit of your own evil wayes This is your Esay 50. 1. wickedness you see now what misery your sins have brought upon your heads thus in that great stroak of the Captivity God clears himself Behold for your Iniquities have you sold your selves and for your Transgressions is your Mother put away viz. It was your own Act and Deed And indeed thus inquiring into our selves for the cause of these evils when they are upon us is a sweet frame of heart then the Soul sayes as the Church did wherefore should a living man complain for the punishment of his sins why should we be complaining doth not God say to the complaining Soul as to Joshua Arise get thee Josh 7. 9. up wherefore lyest thou upon thy face Israel hath sinned and taken the accursed thing So poor Soul thou hast sinned sayes God The accursed thing is found in thy skirts in thy Tent in thy House in thy Heart Thy work is to be inquiring and Searching now after the cause therefore it follows Let us search Laâ— 3. 39 40 and try our wayes and turn again unto the Lord. 1. Reason why in a day of Distress and Affliction it is our duty to inquire into the cause not because that the cause of Gods controversie often is hid from us it lyes hid and we cannot find it out without a diligent inquiry it was so here in the Text They knew not what was the matter and to search â—â— out they were resolved And so they cast â—oâ—s to decide the case and to discover the guilty Person The cause of Gods not going up with Israel was hid from Joshua there was a guilty Achan there as well as a guilty Jonah here and both taken by Lots The accursed thing was the hidden thing we read of Heman under his affliction what course he took I communed with mine own heart and my Spirit made diligent search he Psa â—7 7. supposed There might be some hidden guilt that might occasion it to be thus with him therefore he would fall to searching The Septuagint reads it I digged my own heart The vulgar Latin I swept my own heart Both senses import that there might be some undiscerned guilt which God was angry with him for O how good is it in storms for Sea-men to say Lord is not the accursed thing among us is not the wedg of Gold aboard and the Babylonish garment and now hath not our sins found us out nay our secret sins which the Lord sets in the light of his countenance sin may be hid a long time but as is commonly said of Murder it will out so it may be said of other sins They will out Jonah's running away from God you see came out 2. Reason why we should be inquiring into the cause when under Distresses and Afflictions Because this frame of heart vindicates and honours the justice and righteousness of God Thus Jonah was brought to this at last For my sake is this storm come Ps 9. 13. upon us O now God sends his Agents his Pursevants to artest Delinquents we read therefore of God making Inquisition for blood then saith the Text he remembreth them he will seek out blood so it is read Now whether remembring refers to Bloods to Murders God is searching out or Remembring relates to the afflicted ones as a learned Expositer observes the Caldee to read it he that requires blood of the innocent remembers his just ones however this is true God remembers sin Now when he makes 2 Châ—â—n 2â— 22. Inquisition for it to punish it requiring and punishing the same therefore we read of the Lord looking upon Blood and requiring it viz. to punish and avenge it and so Josephs Brethren say Behold his blood is required O now the Lords searchers are abroad Gen. 42. 22. it is good to be inquiring our selves and so justify God You Sea-men have the Kings Searchers come abroad and they wait upon you O my friends God hath his searchers and his waiters too such as you cannot deceive O then inquire into the cause Lord thou art righteous in all thy proceedings against sinners at Sea and Land and there is some great cause that thou doth thus contend with us That which we know Job 31. 32. not teach thou us and if we have done iniquity we will do so no more 3. We should be inquiring into the cause because God will certainly discover it God will fetch it out let it lye never so latent and hid The Lord sees where the accursed thing lyes he knew the Babylonish garment was hid and the Silver under it Gods eye looks under the Babilonish garment you it may be think your sins are secret from the knowledg of Relations and so you are safe enough and upon the account of the secrecy of sin go on and are hardned but alas for you poor Sea-men God will bring all
out O what a place is that Thou hast Ps 90. 8. set our secret sins in the light of thy countenance that word you have had again and again your sin will find you out shall God make a discovery and we make no inquiry O never think that you can hide the accursed thing out of God's sight That is an observable place He will search Jerusalem with Zeph. 1. 12. Candles and punish the men that are setled upon their leese that say in their hearts The Lord will not do good neither will he do evil some carries it To search with Lant-horns exactly and narrowly and take it that the Caldeans shall be their searchers to seek out their wealth and treasures But others that God would make a diligent narrow search after their sins and his search should reach so deep as to a discovery of mens very hearts That say in their hearts c. Begin to draw up Atheistical conclusions against God that he never regards the government of the world The arguing of too many poor Seamens hearts I am afraid God will discover the very thoughts of your hearts and if the cause lye hid there either in heart or house he will find it out Therefore we should be upon inquiry But this will fall in under the next Doctrine And the Lot fell upon Jonah 4. We should be inquiring into the cause Because until this be discovered the judgment is not removed as Physicians say The cause of a disease known the disease is half cured So in this case this storm do what they could never calmes until Jonah was discovered Though they used all the means possible for men to use when at last they were so ingenious that they thought to save the life of the Delinquent yet the Sea wrought and was tempestuous and they could ver 15. not do it until the righteous sentence of God was executed upon him that they cast him over-board And then sayes the Text the Sea ceased from her raging we read that â—â—v â—6 42 43 44 45. such a time should come that God would Remember the Land of Israel when they were under sad tryals and distresses and God would Remember his Covenant now it is observable what time that was The Text tells When their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they accept the punishment of their iniquities because even because they despised my Judgments and their Souls abhorred my Statutes You see now here is the cause of all discovered well they accept of the punishment of their iniquity here the cause of the Judgment is acknowledged and now it shall be remembred And yet for all that When they be in the Land of their Enemies I will not cast them away neither will I destroy them utterly nor abhor them nor break my Covenant with them For I am the Lord their God See here now is the controversie taken up betwixt God and Them 5. Reason We must inquire into the cause when under Distresses and Afflictions this speaks us truly humbled under the hand of God When we are digging into the cause of God's Judgments that lye upon us many poor sinners may be sensible of the sad effects of God's displeasure in taking away Relations from them by violent tempests in breaking their Estates in the loss of Ships but this is but to cry and complain of the smart of God's dispensations but what is this to the cause of them there your work lies Lord wherefore doest thou contend with us have you found out the Achan the Jonah all this while therefore you must in your Humiliations be more punctual and particular when under the hand of God than at other times When Israel was under the hand of the Philistines and lamented after the Lord Samuel in his exhortation to them upon a solemn Fast-day a Humiliation-day he leads them by the hand to the cause of their distress If you return to the Lord with all your heart and put away the strange Gods from among you and Ashtaroth then he will deliver you out of the hands of the Philistines 1 Sam â—â—â— 4. This Idol was the grand provocation to the Lord Nay this argued them deeply humbled that they would put the Idol away and so in the days of Ezra they came to this â—o find out the particular provocation viz. the marrying strange wives against the express mind of God they resolve to put them away and sayes the Text They sate trembling Ezâ—â— â—0 9. because of this matter O it is a hopeful case to be inquiring into the matter and cause of the Lords controversie When poor Sea-men and their Relations are saying to God under their distresses and tryalls Lord what is the matter what is the sin whereby Lord we have caused thee to send such terrible Messengers of thy displeasure after us When you say Is this sin it or that sin it Lord is it our drunkenness is it our neglect nay profanation of Sabbaths Is it our neglecting the worship of God aboard our Ships when at Sea or neglecting family-prayer when at home Is it our carnal confidence in our successes Is it our unrighteous dealings in the way of our Trade betwixt man and man Lord what sin is it find it out O the Lot will fall upon Jonah the Person and the crime too will be found out by God APPLICATION Is it so that it is our duty to inquire into the cause when under tryals and distresses 1. It is a word of Counsel and Exhortation to poor Sea-men and their Relations to set upon the work when under such dispensations of God The work that the doctrine calls for To say to the Lord shew us wherefore thou contendest with us why are these sad blows come upon us why are we broken in our Comforts in our Estates in our Relations Lord why are we thus Is it to try grace Is it to discover guilt Is it to wean from the uncertain comforts of this present life Is it to let us see where more durable Treasures are to be had then those perishing Treasures that come by the Sea nay what if God should give all the Families of the Tribe of Zebulun the performance of the word Thou shalt seek of the abundance of the Deut. 33. 19. Sea and of Treasures hid in the Land What would these things signifie if you have no Title to the other treasures of God above Heaven is the only treasure-house Lay up your treasures in Heaven these treasures never can suffer Ship-wrack 1. Motive to enquire into the cause this is the only way to have the controversie taken up betwixt God and You. And O what a mercy would this be How comfortably then might you go to Sea and look dangers and difficulties in the face How couragiously might you look Turks and Pyrats in the face when you have the controversie taken up betwixt You and God you need not then fear mans controversie If there should be War betwixt
Nation and Nation what brave Sea-men will they be that have made their peace with God then they may Rejoyce in going out to War so some take that Jud. ◠18. Text of Zebulun for Zebulun is commended for jeoparding there lives unto the death they disdained their Souls to death as the Dutch Annotators observe upon it they fought so bravely for Israels deliverance that they seem to condemn their very lives no man will fight so bravely with an Enemy as he that is reconciled unto God Are not they fittest to fight that are fittest to dye 2. Motive to inquire into the cause of all Evils coming upon you this speaks you sensible of the hand of God There are some that whatsoever they meet with at Sea or at Land all their lives they never say for whose cause is this come upon us they are obdurate and hardned they are like Solomons drunk ard Thou shalt be as he that lyeth down in the midst Prov 23. 34 35. of the Sea or as he that lyeth upon the top of the Mast they have stricken me shal◠thou say and I was not sick They have beat en me and I felt it not when shall I awake I will take it yet again Are there not many such poor drunken Sea-men and O what danger are they in as one that lyeth asleep in the top of the Mast and is stricken and yet feels nothing is even hardned in his sin O these poor Souls never inquires into the cause of the evil and dangers they meet with all As God said of a People why should you be smitten any more you Revolt more and more 3. Motive to inquire into the cause of all evils you meet with this-will help you much to the knowledg of your hearts and lives and O how necessary are these to know both for Sea-men and Land-men You love to know how such a Rock lyes and such a Sand such a Port and such a Coast such a 〈◊〉 or Cape O it is as necessary to know your hearts to know where such a Rock of temptation lyes and such a Sand of a temptation lyes to know these that your precious Souls may never be split upon any of them O many of these Rocks of temptations lye hid in your hearts and you may be run upon them before you ever are aware if you do not know how they lie O how many a pretious Soul hath perished for want of knowing how the temptations of their own hearts lay they have thought they have run upon a bold Coast as you say and hath ventured upon temptations with their own carnal confidence and so have miscarried for ever did you know you had such proud hearts you were almost split upon the Rock of Pride did you know you had such worldly hearts until you were almost split upon the Rock of Covetuousness well now by inquiring into the cause of your evils you come to the knowledg of your hearts For sometimes the cause lyes there and your lives it somtimes lyes there O that poor Sea-men would see into their lives and see if the accursed thing be not there Is it not your loosness your profaneness your swearing your violation of the Sabboth your mocking at prayer your despiseing of ordinances your cruelty to the Souls of the men under your charge some of you Are not those things the causes of the Lords controversie with you It may be you go on and sin and never inquire into these matters until the fatall storm and dismal stroak over-take you and then perish you must when you have scarce time to say Lord for whose sake is this evil come upon us 4. Motive to inquire into the cause of the evils you meet withall This will argue you look higher then second causes in storms and distresses that none of these afflictions arise out of the dust the winds are his winds his servants the Seas his servants and you must look over from the servant to the Lord. These poor Mariners you see did look higher therefore they pray unto their Gods this is a Christian spirit this storme fulfills the will of God the word of God and good is the word of the Lord. 5. Motive to inquire into the cause of the evils you meet with This argues sincerity and integrity of soul that they all were so willing to cast lots and find out the Malefactor argued their uprightness and innocency as to that extraordinary guilt that they thought this storm came for When a poor Sea-man can say with holy David Lord search me and try me and know my heart and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me doth not this argue sincerity and uprightness can any Ps 139. 23 24. but a sound heart abide searching especially Gods searching Can any but upright hearts desire to know the plague of their own hearts to desire to know the worst by themselves to say is it I Lord is it I that have caused this storm am I the Jonah in the Vessel am I the guilty Person this storm is sent after if Lord I yeild to thy most righteous sentence do what thou wilt with me so that this storm may become a calm 2. Use Is it so that inquiry into the cause is our duty when in distress then it is a word of direction O but sayes poor Souls now we shall inquire into the cause of God's controversie with us 1. By Prayer This is the great inquiry shew me wherefore thou contendest with me this is the only way to find out the controversie Thus David did as you have heard Search me O God try me c. Joshua's prayer found out the Achan for God upon it bid him arise and search out the cursed thing He knew not of the accursed thing until he had been inquiring of God and then all comes out O Prayer brings all out As sometimes God sayes by Preaching Thou art the man as he did by Nathan unto David so he says somtimes by Prayer thou art the man and this is the sin the cause of such an evil and of such a tryal 2. Direction Would you find out the cause then you must look into your selves as well as look up to God looking inward is as necessary as looking upward you must make a diligent search you must commune with your own hearts You must find this if ever you find it upon search O it is not an easie thing to find out the cause of Gods contending with us And therefore we must be exact in the scrutiny 1. It is it may be some hidden thing the accursed thing was the hidden thing it was not in the open field no it was in Achans Tent yea and it was hid there therefore we must ransack every corner of our hearts they have many dark corners and we must if we will find out the cause go from corner to corner with the light of the Word You Sea-men search your Ships for the
accursed thing you Land-men search your Shops for it and every one search your hearts for it It is not many times visible there is it is true a visible cursed thing many times carried to Sea with you viz your drunkenness your neglect of the worship of God your swearing your Sabbath-breaking But is there not where these are not accursed covetuousness the accursed wedg of gold accursed defrauding and cheating in a more hidden way and accursed uncleanness in a more secret way that it may be few know of it 2. You must search your hearts for the cause of your evils For few know their own hearts who knows them it is a very hard thing to know them aright we may think we know them be very ignorant of them if they that search them somtimes be ignorant of them how ignorant are they then of them that never look into them Ps 19. 12 which made David say who can understand his error cleanse thou me from secret faults 3. You must be diligent in the searching out the causes of your evils for you may very easily overlook them you may easily over-look in the search the wedg of gold it may lye in a little room and the Babylonish garment may lye in a little room 4. You must be diligent in the searches for our Hearts are very prone to be partial We have a Peter within that often calls to us Master spare thy self We say of a beloved sin that usually is the cause of Gods contending with us as David did of his beloved Son deal gently with my Son Absolom for my sake We are very indulgent to our right hands and to our right eyes 5. You must be diligent in your Search for while you are upon it if it be possible Satan will blow out your Candle I mean your Conviction in the light of which you Search It may be God convinces you of your duty and you fall upon search but before you have made any thing of it you will have Satan blow your light out and so you will give over as the woman sought her lost groat lighted her Candle and swept her house so had you need to do in this inquiry after the cause of your distresses and Afflictions 3. If you would find out the cause of your Afflictions and tryals then make Inquiery by the word Then is the only Rule to find out the Jonah This way would these poor Heathen Mariners have taken but that they were ignorant of any such Rule therefore they cast Lots There can be no search made to any purpose without the word It is upon this account called a Lamp a Lanthorn If a sin we seek for evade discovery and run into the dark corners of our Hearts we are to follow the search still in the light of the word And if guilty Jonah had but been kept awake to have askt his Soul the Question O my Soul Is this according to the word of the Lord that came to thee was thy Commission to go to Tarshish or to Ninevie Is it according to Rule for thee to go one way when God bids thee go another he had then soon come to a discovery of the cause of this storm upon easie Inquiry We should in such a case say as Paul did in that controversie But what saies the Scripture 1. Make your Inquiry by reading the word O that Sea-men would Sail by this Compass and when you meet with a sin set out in the word and markt by the Lord that you would say Here is a Sea-marke for thee to avoyd here is a Rock that thou must be careful thou split not upon a Sand thou must be careful thou fall not foul upon Here is a Gulph thou must be careful thou be not swallowed up in You talk of the Gulph of Venice and the Gulph of Lyons but the Word tells you of the Gulph of Drunkenness and of the Gulph of uncleanness and of the Gulph of swearing and Sabbath-breaking And O how many are swallowed up precious Souls of poor Sea-men cast away in these Gulphs Do you in reading the word observe what marks God hath given such and such sins and how they have caused his displeasure As soon as ever the sin of drunkenness came into the world God set a brand upon it It came in by a sad hand indeed even â—en 19. â—6 37 â—8 by Lott But O what a punishment God set upon it suffering it to be fellowed with another sin the great sin of Uncleanness nay the highest even Incest O what sin came in at this door what Murders Quarrellings Passions Adulteries even the door of Drunkenness but see a further mark set upon it as the sad effects of it The first Daughter bare a Son and Judg 11 4 2â— called his name Moab the other bare a Son and called his name Ben-ammi the Father of the Children of Ammon unto this day Now this Posterity apostatized to Idolatry and became both of them as dwelling near Canaan great Enemies to poor Israel Some read Deut. 23. 3 4. and was not this a black mark upon that sin that such a Father should have such a Posterity begot in the sin that should in after Generations be inveterate Enemies to Gods people Take but another Instance because this is one of the sins of Seamen that is often a cause of the Lords controversie with you in storms at Sea Esa 23. 1 2 3. Wo to the crown of Pride and the Drunkards of Ephraim whose glorious beauty is as a fading flower c. Behold the Lord hath a mighty and stronge one which is a Tempest of haile and a Destroying storme as a flood of mighty waters overflowing shall cast down to the Earth with his hand The Drunkards of Ephraim shall be troden under feet This is a Prophesie of the wrath of God upon the Ten Tribes for their drunkenness did much abound and this mighty strong one as a destroying storm to come upon them which was made good in Salmaneser the King of Assyria's coming to beseige Samaria and carry them Captive when the Turks carry so many English Sea-men Captive into Sally into Argiers is it not good inquiring Is not our Drunkenness the cause of this Evil coming upon us mark well then consult the word what it saies of Drunkenness 2. Consult the word in your reading of it and observe what a mark God hath put upon uncleanness which I doubt is another Rock that many a poor Sea-mans Soul is split upon Saies Solomon I discerned among the simple ones among the youths a young-man voide of understanding Here is a brand upon him What was he one that fell in with the strange Woman what became of him Prâ— 7. â— 26. 27. He was led of her till a dart struck through his Liver as a bird hasteneth to the snare and knoweth not it is for his life her house is the way to Hell going down to the Chambers of death He is
a man a dead man and a damned man if not rescued from this snare O that poor Sea-men would read that Chapter often over she tells him She had deckt her bed c. O but yet it was the Chamber of Death Though the bed was perfumed and all in bravery yet it was the way to Hell well but after a while he is struck through the Liver being the seat of Lust saith one therefore the foul-disease as you call it is called Morbus Hepatarius The disease of the Liver Splen ridere facit cogit amare jecur Is it not good to say Is not this the cause of the Lords controversie many a time at Sea O how many Sea-mens Souls have been swallowed up of this Guloh 3. Consult to find out the cause the Word Preached A searching Ministry may be a great blessing to Sea-men upon that account The word Preached to you is to be your Spiritual Pilots to shew you where such a Rock lies such a Sand lies where such a Shelve lies we are to tell you from our Lord and Master that if you steer a course of sin you will run a course of Ruine It was the Lords Commission to his Prophets Lift up thy Voyce like a Trumpet cry aloud and spare not Shew unto my people their sins and the House of Jacob their Transgressions We are to shew your sins as the causes of Gods controversie with you We shew you your danger of such a Rock such a sin but do you bear off do you stand off from it if you do not at your peril if you miscarry your blood be upon your own heads O me-thinks of all men Sea-men should love a searching Ministry you enjoy so little of it go many months and hear not a Sermon you that run so many hazards and dangers you love Carpenters for the safety of the ship and Chirurgions for the health of your bodies and why should not you love Ministers for the good of your Souls Must ships must bodies be preferr'd before precious Souls 4. Would you find out the cause Be then often reading over your lives and Conversations You keep your Journals and is it not as necessary to keep Diaries The book of your lives you may read every day when you cannot have time to read other books nay it may be some of you cannot read at all O but this book you may read and may not you often read O Lord my wickedness now doth correct me doth pursue me doth as an Avenger of blood follow me This is thy Iniquity that testifies against thee this is thy sin that now hath found thee out this is thy drunkenness thy abominable uncleanness thy blaspheamous Oaths thy mocking at Prayer thy prophaining of Sabbaths May not you read all this in your lives men at Land that would know how it is with them as to their Estates will cast up their books and men at Sea that would know where they are and what course they run will keep their observations and watches So should you be often casting up your Books your Accounts your Observations if you would know where abouts you are for your Eternal Conditions It may be the Jonah is in thy Conversation that brings the storm then thou must look to Reform that 5. Would you find out the Cause Then you must set before you the danger of miscarrying Now they were in danger they cry out For whose cause is this evil come upon us Truly we are seldom either at Sea or Land led into our duty until danger drive us to it In your storms you are it may be saying to your selves What if the ship should miscarry but do you ever say to your Souls what if your Souls miscarry what if the ship be lost you say but if you said What if your Souls be lost this would help you in the inquiry after the cause of the Lords Controversie with you Set thy danger before thee poor Sea-man that thou may'st find out the cause 1. If thy Soul miscarry it is an eternal miscarriage thou art fixed in that miscarryed estate to all Eternity never to come out of it It is to go to the Pit from whence there is no Redemption There may be Redemption from Sally from Algier nay from Fez where poor Sea-men when they are taken by the Turks are so affraid of being sent O but poor Sea-men from Hell there is no Redemption The King of this Country never gives up his Slaves 2. If thy Soul miscarry poor Sea-man it will aggravate thy sin and misery that thou had'st so many warnings but refused them O what a fair way wast thou once in when convinced of such a sin would be thy Ruine if thou did'st not Repent of it such a Rock would split thy Soul for ever if thou came foul upon it and yet what a bold course did'st thou steer notwithstanding all these warnings Ministers called to thee Relations called to thee Conscience called to thee Godly Friends and Acquaintance that loved thy Soul called to thee O stand off the Rock of sinful Company O take heed of such a sin and such a Lust but alas all these signified nothing to thee O these refused-warnings will be as oyle to make Hells flames burn more vehemently 3. If thou miscarry poor Sea-man thou many times miscarryest on a sudden They go down in a moment to the grave O what little time have they to prepare for Death that little time they have is to provide for their lives that they seldom entertain a thought what will become of their Souls The Sea-mans destruction comes upon them as a whirl-wind suddenly and often inevitably suddenly destroyed and that without Remedy as that word you read and Are not all sudden things sad and full of astonishment Is it not a comfortable thing to have time to prepare for your change now The sense of your danger every Voyage you go should make you find out the cause of Gods Controversie with you The last Use is of Tryal How may we conclude what is the cause of Gods Controversie with us what sin is the Jonah We may pass a false Judgment then how may we find out the sin and Provocation to say This is the cause why God contends with me as David when Nathan said to him Thou art the man so we may say Thou art the sin and so single out the particular Provocation to God 1. That sin usually that lies uppermost on the Conscience is the cause of Gods Controversie with us when we are in any distress or under any Affliction When Jonah's Conscience was gotten cured of his Lethargy it was thus with him his guilt of fleeing from the presence of the Lord was uppermost why hast thou done this say the Ships Company to him For the men knew that he had fled from the presence Gen 4â— 21. of the Lord for he had told them Thus it was with Josephs Brethren And they said one to another in this wise
Saw we not the anguish of his Soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is this distress come upon us you see This sin layd uppermost upon his Conscience Now observe it well what that sin is you may write upon the head of it Thou art the Jonah this is the cause of this Controversie when the Conscience is humbled there is a Controversie betwixt God and the Soul Now sin is very prone to walk in the Conscience in a day of distress and affliction 2. That sin that is thy darling sin usually is the cause This usually of all sins is the Jonah This complexion-sin as that Country-sins where you Sea-men go So you must remember there are constitutional sins which you carry and now to carry your constitutional sins to meet with other-country-sins is sad If you run into them here in England what will you do when you come into climates that shall be like sparks to gun-powder You carry the gun-powder with you but there you meet with Sparks viz occasions exciting your corruptions And may it not be said then of many a poor Sea-man as of the wild Asse In her occasioâ— who can turn her away Gods Controversy frequently either at Land or Sea arises upon the account of our right-hand or right-eyes viz. our dearest and nearest corruptions Some mens complexion sin is Lust others Drunkenesse others Passion and these are often breaking out to provoke the Lord. And O how good it is to know them For there is an especial providence made to such as Know the Plague of their own Hearts 3ly That sin that we design most to hide that is the cause of the Controversy betwixt God and us The accursed thing you have heard was the hidden thing We have it naturally from our first Parents to hide our Sin This is like the children of Adam though the Lord hath expresly told us that He that hideth his Sin shall not prosper Man is a proud creature Pro. 28. 13 and cannot endure to leave his own shame therefore he finds out covers for his sins although they be but Fig-leaves which will blow away with the least breath of a powerful conviction and then the Sinner will see the shame of his nakedness and cry out of his Guilt both before the Lord and others O poor Sinners consider Had not you better be ashamed here than damned hereafter Had not you better bear your shame now say as she did when you are to die And I am one of the fools in Israel and whither shall I carry my shame It will be sad to carry it to Hell with you and have it upon you to all Eternity 4. That sin that we are most prone to plead for our excuse that usually is the cause of the Controversy betwixt God and us And as we are Adams children in hiding our Sin so we are his children in being prone to excuse our Sin The woman thou gavest me gave me Gen. 3. 11 12 and I did eat He puts it off the woman she sayes The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat and she puts it off And thus do we for our beloved sins especially It is a little one and my Soul shall live a little Pride a little Passion a little worldliness a little drunkenness somtimes overseen in drink but yet no drunkard O Sirs it is a dangerous thing to cover your Sins with excuses Your woe is written upon the head of it Wee to them that cover but not with a covering of my Spirit 5. That Sin is the controversy betwixt God us which is the Sin we cannot endure should be sharply Reproved We expect that this Sin should be favoured therefore when the power of the Word in an Ordinance comes then the hearts of Sinners swell As Herod when John-Baptist comes to his particular sin to his Herodias O then Johns head must go for it O poor sinners cannot bear particular home-preaching as a profane Gentleman said of a godly Preacher where he lived He divides his Text like a Scholler and follow his doctrine like a Logician but the Devil cannot stand before his Application O sinners cannot bear plain dealing for their Souls can say spare this sin deal gently with this sin for my sake as David said of his son Absalom 6ly That is the sin that is the controversy betwixt God and us which we are so loath to part with O it goes to the heart to part with some sins a sin of custome or a sin of Interest or a sin of inclination O what strugling and combatting is there in the Soul before they can give up such sins other evils when they see no other way they can be more contented to part Gen. 42. 36. with but what them I say that hath caused them to laugh and sport themselves so often What their Benjamins O what a parting was there betwixt the old Patriarch and his son Benjamin Gen. 43. 11. Joseph is not and Simeon is not and you will take Benjamin away All these things are against me and at last he came to If it must be so now Such a parting there is betwixt these beloved sins and poor Souls Pharaoh will not let Israel go untill he see no other way So it is in this case Thus I have dispatched the second observation of the Text. That it is our duty to make inquiry into the Cause when any evil is upon us either at Land or Sea Jonah 3. 7. And the Lot fell upon Jonah WE have already heard of a Controversie and of the means that was used to decide that Controversie viz. by casting Lots now we are come to the decision of the Controversie viz. The discovery of the guilty person who had caused this storm And the Lot fell upon Jonah The Observation is this God will certainly find out the Jonah that causeth the storm This Lot that found out Jonah was the determination of God the finger of God The disposing of the Lot is of the Lord says the Wise-man The guilty person shall not always go undiscovered though he was gone down into the sides of the Ship and was fast asleep yet he is found out But it is necessary we should premise something before we come to follow the Observation that all stumbling blocks may be taken out of the way 1. Persons under guilt may go a long time undiscovered Jonah for a time we see continues so yea though the storm was upon the Vessel where he was yet he is not discovered It may be said of many a poor sinner as is said of the wicked man He flatters himself in his own eyes until his iniquity Psal 36. 3. be found to be hateful He goes on for the present and thinks all is well but God discovers him sooner or later and makes his iniquity hateful Some mens hidden works of darkness are sooner brought to light than others Judas goes a long time among the Disciples before he be discovered